THEY go down to the sea in old water heaters along the Atlantic coast these days, now that some young man with a leaning toward aquatic sports has proved how easy it is to make an excellent diving helmet from a metal water heater which will enable its wearer to walk comfortably on the sea floor 35 feet and more below the surface. A few feet of garden hose, two pairs of bellows, a couple of valve boxes and a cylindrical metal boiler of the type used in most homes for heating water, are the essentials for building one of these helmets.

SWIMMIN’ time again, with a world of funâ€”and some serious hazards, too. As usual there’ll be tipped boats and other horseplay. G. E. Tatum, safety engineer for a public utility, offers common-sense advice on how to have fun and stay alive. In case your boat tips you overboard, Tatum says, rock it to slosh out as much water as possible, then crawl over the stern

Twists Test Bodies
This Ford is leaping into the air on one of its 200 trips around the “body-twist” course at the Dearborn test track. Here
body and frame are subjected to extreme torsion stressesâ€”first in one direction, then the otherâ€”as indicated by the whipping aerial. The test is one of a series that experimental Ftfrds must undergo.

Railroad Sleep Hanger
For railroad travelers, Dr. Igo Seeger of Vienna has come up with a sleep hanger that holds the passenger in a comfortable sleeping posture while sitting upright. The hanger is supported from overhead by an adjustable strap. A shelf holds the folded arms of the traveler, while another shelf has a pillow to support the head.

Car Pulls Up Its Wheels To Become a Boat
RETRACTING its wheels as an airplane does, a proposed amphibian automobile transforms itself into a rakish water craft. The picture above shows a model of the machine which Paul Pankotan, its inventor, plans to build at Miami, Fla. On land, it uses the power of its drive wheels; afloat, that of a propeller at the stern. The body, has the sleek, graceful lines of a motor cruiser.

Postman Goes Around on Motor Scooter
Motorized scooters for footsore mailmen are proposed by Henry R. Smith, letter carrier, of Columbia, S. C, who has constructed one of his own. The driver stands at the rear and steers with one hand, operating a combined clutch and brake control with the other. A gasoline motor drives the four-wheeled vehicle at four to twelve miles an hour. In tests, the scooter cut as much as two hours from the time required to cover an eight-mile route. Smith’s machine cost him $150 to build, but he estimates that mass production would cut the cost away down.

WHEN a “flock of geese” turned out to be a fleet of airplanes, an idea was born in the mind of an engineer. And that idea led to the development of an entirely new design for automobiles.

Ever alert for ideas that may result in a more efficient motor, a better brake or a safer steering system, the engineer usually is the first to catch a vision of what is to come. Then, from its conception in the engineer’s brain, every new car and every part in it traces a trail of trial and error over the drafting board, through wind tunnel and precision tests, to the proving ground and Anally into actual production.

U.S. Navy Blimps Learn New Role for Sea Rescues
With the aid of new airship inventions, U. S. Navy blimps can now “anchor” ” 100 feet above the sea, and pick up ill sailors or victims of shipwreck. A circular disk called a “drogue,” dropped into the sea at the end of a cable, keeps the craft’s nose pointed steadily into the wind.

Armrest for Car
Easy-chair comfort for the car driver is provided by an adjustable armrest which hooks over the back of the front seat. The driving aidâ€”a flexible metal bar with a sliding cushionâ€”fits all cars. A small lever permits the foam-rubber cushion to be adjusted to the most comfortable height, then locked in place. The metal bar is covered with fabric to prevent damage to the car upholstery.